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| Trip Name: | Deep Pits of Mexico
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| Trip Code: | 86 |
| Trip Summary: |
This is a 12-day field camp in one of the most remarkable karst areas in the world. After an 18-hour drive divided into two days, eight days will be spent in the jungle area surrounding Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The area contains numerous large pits, home to large flocks of birds. The trip will culminate with the spectacular 376-meter descent into
El Sótano de las Golondrinas. The trip will also showcase the wonderful culture of the local Huasteca Potosí; people who have inhabited the area for thousands of years.
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| Start Date: | July 27, 2009 |
| End Date: | August 7, 2009 |
| Starting Location: | ICS, Kerrville, Texas USA
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| Ending Location: | San Antonio International Airport (SAT), San Antonio, Texas USA, late in the day
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| Minimum Size: | 10 |
| Maximum Size: | 30 |
| Contact: | Jerry Fant
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| Setting: |
Some of the deepest pits in the world are located in Mexico, just south of the United States. Two major mountain ranges, the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre Occidental, run north-south the length of the country, with a central highland between them. Deep pits abound in the state of San Luis Potosí, on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental, in the vicinity of the town of Aquismón. The steep mountainsides are covered with jungle, interspersed with areas cleared for farming by the local Huastec people. In the summer, the climate is hot and humid, with temperatures ranging from 10°C (50°F) to 32°C (90°F). We will be there during the rainy season, so we can expect thunderstorms each afternoon.
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| Trip Details: |
This trip will combine days of strenuous caving with other activities. The first pit to descend is 110-meter-deep Sótano de las Quilas. Quilas is home to hundreds of green conures, which fill the air when disturbed. Sótano de Quital at 120 meters depth is very scenic and is also full of the green conures. Sótano de la Huasteca at 148 meters is a good warmup for Hoya de las Guaguas at 202 meters. The trip will end with the spectacular descent into El Sótano de las Golondrinas at 376 meters. Both Guaguas and Golondrinas are filled with white-collared swifts and green conures. During off days we will visit Cascadas de Tumul (a 120-meter waterfall), Cascadas Micos, Cueva Linda (the longest and largest cave in the area), and
Las Pozas (the surrealist home of
Edward James, a wealthy and eccentric patron of the arts).
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| Accommodations: |
We will camp in an undeveloped area next to a farmer's field, near the jungle. Outdoor showers will be heated either by solar power or by propane. Pit toilets will be available.
A sheltered dining area will be provided, either under large tents or in a more permanent structure. Meals will be cooked in the traditional style by local Huastec people, and will consist of pork, beef, goat, beans, corn, rice, and lots of chili peppers.
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| Special Considerations: |
- This is a serious vertical trip and participants must be vertically competent. The trip leader can and will deny permission to descend the deep pits to anyone who cannot demonstrate adequate competence.
- San Luis Potosí is hot and humid in the summer. This trip will require long and strenuous hikes in heat and high humidity.
- Participants must supply their own caving equipment, including vertical equipment, and their own camping equipment, including bedding and a tent.
- Visas are required to enter Mexico, and a multi-entry US visa may be required to return to the United States. Field camp participants are responsible for obtaining all required travel documentation. For information on US travel policies,
visit http://www.travel.state.gov/. Select the ”International Travel” tab for information on other
countries and links to their embassies. For information on Mexican travel policies,
visit http://tinyurl.com/icsfc88
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| Travel Information: |
We will travel by rented vans, leaving from the Congress site in Kerrville, Texas, and returning to the San Antonio, Texas International Airport. There will be two long days of driving in each direction, with stops for food and restrooms, but little sightseeing. There will be a stop at Cueva del Abra on the southbound journey.
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 The 15th ICS Organizing Committee wants everyone to enjoy their trips and excursions, but cares about the safety of all visitors and the
protection of the caves, their contents, and the land in which they occur. ICS Trip Leaders will have the right to refuse entry to a cave or
property, or remove any person from a cave or property if that person's skills, equipment, or actions are likely to harm that person, other cavers,
the cave, its contents, or the property. For general information on accepted caving equipment, techniques, and conservation methods in the US,
see http://www.caves.org/safety/ and http://www.caves.org/info/policy.shtml.
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